New I-5 Skagit River span rolls into place this weekend

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Courtesy WASHDOT & Kuney Construction

SEATTLE — By this time next week you could be driving on the new, Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River.

For the last several days, crews have been building the bridge’s permanent replacement next to the temporary span over the river. A huge crane has lifted the huge girders in to place and the next step is to pour the concrete deck this week before moving the permanent span into place this weekend.

“It all involves two sets of rails and a whole bunch of jacks,” explained Travis Phelps, spokesperson for Washington’s Department of Transportation. “We’re going to lift out the temporary span which is actually two bridges. We’re going to slide that over to the east. Our permanent span, which is to the west, we’re going to raise that up on jacks and slide that over and drop it into place.”

While all that is going on, traffic will be detoured through Burlington and Mount Vernon, from 7 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Sunday.

The bridge replaces a span that collapsed when an oversized semi hit its support beams last May.